Theodore metropolitan of Ainos (eleventh century)

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin orans with medallion of Christ before her. Sigla: ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of four lines preceded and followed by decoration. Border of dots.

ΘΚΕ,Θ,ΘΕΟΔΡΜΡΟΠΟΛΙΤ,ΑΙΝΟΥ ·

Θεοτόκε βοήθει Θεοδώρῳ μητροπολίτῃ Αἴνου

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin orans with medallion of Christ before her. Sigla: ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of four lines preceded and followed by decoration. Border of dots.

ΘΚΕ,Θ,ΘΕΟΔΡΜΡΟΠΟΛΙΤ,ΑΙΝΟΥ ·

Θεοτόκε βοήθει Θεοδώρῳ μητροπολίτῃ Αἴνου

Accession number

BZS.1955.1.4835

Diameter

22.0 mm

Previous Editions

DO Seals 1, no. 45.5.

Translation

Θεοτόκε βοήθει Θεοδώρῳ μητροπολίτῃ Αἴνου.

Theotokos, help Theodore metropolitan of Ainos.

Commentary

Ainos, modern Enez in Turkish Thrace, was originally a suffragan bishopric of Traïanoupolis. It is mentioned in the ekthesis of Pseudo-Epiphanios as an archbishopric and became a metropolitan see by 1032. See Laurent, Corpus V/1, 614-15; Asdracha, Thrace orientale, 242-243 and 288-89; Asdracha, in REB 31 (1973) 291 and in BNJ 23 (1979) 44-51. Since the publication of the third volume of Laurent's corpus of ecclesiastical seals, the excavations at Pernik (Pernik [Sophia, 1983] 129) have yielded the late eleventh/early twelfth century seal of another unknown prelate of Ainos, the metropolitan Andronikos. The city has been the object of extensive excavations: A. Erzen, "Enez (Ainos) Araştırmaları," Güney-Doğu Avrupa Araştırmaları Dergisi (Istanbul Univ., Edebiyat Fak.) 1 (1972) 235-48; A. Erzen, "Enez (Ainos) Kazıları," ibid. 2-3 (1974) 217-238; K. Göçmen, "Enez limanının değişen öneminde deltasının Etkileri," ibid. 253-266.